Rethinking the Culture of Praise

With the stakes for college admissions getting higher by the day, it’s no surprise that students are going to extreme lengths in an attempt to make themselves stand out from the crowd. However, in today’s culture of praise, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish one [insert superlative here] student from all the others. Is every student truly as great as his or her recommendation suggests? Do students benefit from receiving “empty praise” rather than critical feedback that might aid in necessary development? Examining this culture may provide us insights into the reasons young people so often feel entitled and furthermore, allow us to determine who is truly is different.